The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) today conducted a day long stakeholders conference with ecosystem partners to deliberate and share ideas to further enhance service delivery, improve convenience by using Aadhaar and contribute to the larger good of people.
Over 600 stakeholders including senior policy makers, industry leaders, technocrats, and professionals came together for the ‘Aadhaar Samvaad’ in Kolkata, which coincided with the 17th Aadhaar Day.
The event was graced by Shri Jitin Prasada, Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as the chief guest and marked an important milestone in Aadhaar's continuing evolution as a trusted digital identity infrastructure for India.
“Aadhaar is a great success story. Aadhaar is a very critical component for India’s growth story,” Prasada said.
“Aadhaar has been instrumental in enhancing service delivery, promoting mass scale financial inclusion, and ensuring that government benefits, reach the right people. As a cornerstone of our digital governance, Aadhaar has revolutionized the way we access government services, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and inclusivity,” Prasada added, and underlined the importance of staying in sync with the emerging technologies.
He also underlined how Aadhaar is going to be beneficial for the people of West Bengal and benefits will reach the right beneficiaries of government initiatives.
CEO UIDAI Sh Saurabh Vijay said resident continues to remain at the centre of every action of UIDAI and Aadhaar ecosystem. He underlined that the product launches on the 17th Aadhaar Day is in sync with this resident centricity philosophy.
“Throughout the day, we discussed with our stakeholders on issues like expanding usage of Aadhaar, further strengthening authentication ecosystem for good governance, the enrolment and update ecosystem, and challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies,” Vijay said.
“Today is also an occasion to recognise that Aadhaar continues to evolve with the changing needs of a rapidly transforming digital India. New technologies, new forms of service delivery and stronger emphasis on privacy, security and resident convenience are shaping its next chapter,” said Vivek C Verma, Deputy Director General, UIDAI in his welcome address.
The occasion witnessed the launch of five new initiatives aimed at enhancing resident convenience, strengthening security, enabling good governance and preparing the Aadhaar ecosystem for the next phase of digital transformation.
A key launch was Face Authentication for the Electronic Public Distribution System (ePDS), jointly undertaken by UIDAI, the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The consent-based, contactless authentication option provides beneficiaries with an additional mode of authentication, particularly in situations where fingerprint authentication may be difficult, and enables States and Union Territories to integrate Face Authentication into their ePDS ecosystems.
UIDAI also launched SWIK Portal 2.0, which streamlines the process for seeking approval for Aadhaar authentication under the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance framework. Eligible non-Government entities can now submit proposals for permissible use cases directly through the portal to the concerned Ministry/Department, enabling a structured and coordinated approval process. https://swik.meity.gov.in/
The Sub-AUA/Sub-KUA (LITE) Framework launched today will facilitate wider adoption of Aadhaar authentication by Government and eligible other than Government entities with low-volume requirements. Eligible entities can leverage the authentication infrastructure of an existing AUA/KUA, enabling simpler and faster onboarding in real time without establishing any authentication infrastructure, while adhering to UIDAI’s security, privacy and regulatory requirements.
UIDAI also unveiled a new Token Management System, which will make it easier for people to go to state and regional offices of UIDAI for services wherever applicable.
Prasad unveiled a revamped UIDAI website, which will make information flow real time on its website. Residents come to UIDAI for four fundamental reasons: understand Aadhaar, access a service, find a document, or seek assistance. The redesigned website brings these journeys into a clearer structure.
The website has been designed in alignment with the Aadhaar brand guidelines, establishing a consistent visual identity across the UIDAI website, the myAadhaar portal and the Aadhaar App.
Accessibility has been a key consideration in the design of the revamped website. It incorporates features such as screen-reader compatibility, adjustable font sizes, improved colour contrast, keyboard navigation, and other accessibility enhancements to make Aadhaar-related information and services more accessible and inclusive for all residents, including persons with disabilities.
With BHASHINI integration, the website supports 13 languages, including English and Hindi. We are planning to make the website available in 23 languages in near future – up from 13 today.
The revamped website also introduces the UIDAI Career Portal, enabling online applications for deputation opportunities and providing a more streamlined and transparent process for prospective applicants.